1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of oral physiotherapy. More particularly it concerns a tongue brushing device in which a synthetic tape containing a plurality of flexible hooks is affixed to one end of the flat surface of an elongated member, such as a tongue depressor. The device, when used in brushing the tongue, removes bacterial microorganisms, extraneous cellular debris and the like implicated in plaque formation on dental surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The dorsum of the tongue is one of the main foci of microorganisms in the oral cavity [B. O. Krasse, Odont. Revy, 5, 203 (1954); D. F. Gordon, Jr. and R. J. Gibbons, Arch. Oral Biol., 11, 627 (1966)]. Many bacterial species resident on the tongue colonize and accumulate in plaque [G. L. Slack and G. H. Bowen, Adv. Fluorine Res., 3, 193 (1965)] and these bacteria are normally integral to dental calculus [A. A. Rizzo, et al., Arch. Oral Biol., 12, 933 (1967)]. Because the tongue is a site of dense bacterial populations and because plaque forms soon after its removal, it appears that the tongue is a source of dental plaque.
The dorsum of the tongue is covered with papillae. The anterior two-thirds of the dorsum is covered with short fungiform papillae while the posterior third is covered with fungiform papillae interspersed with 2 to 3 mm long filiform papillae. Bacteria, food particles and the breakdown products of foods are trapped in the crevices between the papillae, particulary on the posterior third of the dorsum of the tongue. This material is the source of most oral bacteria and mouth order. The tongue, besides harboring large populations of microorganisms, also continuously sheds cells of the surface layer of epithelium. The availability of oral debris from these sources could contribute to plaque formation on dental surfaces [S. E. Jacobson, et al., J. Amer. Dent. Assoc., 87, 134 (1973)].
There has been isolated from natural plaque accumulation on the dental surface the microorganism Streptococcus salivarius which when grown in pure culture (in vitro) deposits plaque layers on sterile, stainless steel wire thus implicating this bacterial microorganism as responsible for natural plaque formation [E. L. Gilmore and S. N. Bhaskar, J. Periodont., 43, 418 (1972)]. Streptococcus salivarius and related species are found in the greatest numbers on the dorsum of the tongue. The degree of reduction in oral debris, as a result of tongue brushing, is directly correlated with the degree of reduction in plaque accumulation [S. E. Jacobson, et al., J. Amer. Dent. Assoc., 87, 134 (1973)].
Numerous devices have been conceived to maintain good oral hygiene and to limit the amount of plaque resident on dental surfaces. The toothbrush in conjunction with dental floss, when used diligently, will remove deposited plaque from tooth surfaces. Water jet devices remove debris from the interdental areas and periodontal sulci and stimulate periodontal tissues. However, these devices do not prevent the formation of plaque and remove only some of the sources of mouth odor. Even when all these methods are successfully employed the patient is assured only of clean tooth surfaces and gingiva [E. L. Gilmore and S. N. Bhaskar, J. Periodont., 43, 418 (1972)].
Toothbrushing is the most frequently used oral hygiene procedure. The recognition of populations of cariogenic bacteria on the tongue led to methods of general oral physiotherapy. Butler [C. E. Butler, Acad. Rev., 12, 64 (1964)] described a tongue brushing routine using a horseshoe-shaped brush with a single row of bristles for the purpose of tongue-oral physiotherapy. The tongue brushing technique for tongue therapy reduces both the size of the incident bacterial population and the extraneous epithelial cells each which can contribute to plaque formation.